About Us
Monroe Equipment, Inc.
N50 W13941 Overview Dr, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
PO Box 100, Butler, WI 53007
Phone: 262-783-8190
Our President
Excerpted from Successful
Builder of Wisconsin, May, 1995
Most men and women who raised children during the Great Depression
are no longer alive to share stories of how extremely difficult and
unfortunate the times were. But the children who grew up during one
of our nation's worst times in history can vividly recall the
difficulties they faced. Many of these kids, in fact, seem to have
used their memories of the bad times to motivate themselves in
working toward a better life -- a life filled with success and good
fortune not only for themselves, but for those around them. Such is
the case with Claude Grieger, president and owner of Monroe
Equipment.
Born in 1927, Claude Grieger and his family
moved to Whitefish Bay when he was just five years old. At
the age of 17, Grieger, like many of his classmates, joined the
military to support the nation's wartime effort. His Navy training
included studies in engineering at Central Michigan College
and Iowa State University.
But when the war ended, Grieger, like many of his fellow enlistees,
opted to conclude his tour of duty and finish his studies at the University of Wisconsin
Madison with the aid of the GI Bill.
Without this opportunity, he could not have completed his education.
With a mechanical engineering degree from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, Grieger took his first job with
Mueller Climatrol, a company he refers to as "a grand old name in
the Milwaukee
market." As an engineer, he tested furnaces to ensure compliance
with American Gas Association standards. Later, he moved into sales.
After nine years with Mueller, Grieger joined a
local heating contractor, eventually becoming the firm's vice
president. He later became a manufacturer's representative at a time
when many of the Milwaukee area's largest
companies were converting coal and oil-fired boilers to gas.
Ultimately, Grieger moved into a sales position for Armstrong
Furnace Company with responsibility for five Midwestern states.
In 1966, after befriending the owner of a local
firm (then known as Monroe Engineering), Grieger became the
company's sole employee. At that time,
Monroe's only product was gas conversion
burners. But because most people were then converting their
furnaces, the company became a highly successful business. Grieger
recalls a period of time when back orders totaled more than 2,000
burners.
Over time, under the leadership of Claude
Grieger, Monroe added several new
products and significantly improved its position in the marketplace.
In 1969, the owner rewarded Grieger for his efforts by selling him
the company. Grieger again expanded by adding the Armstrong line of
furnaces and changed the company's name to Monroe Equipment, Inc.
"In the early years of my career, many people questioned whether or
not I could hold a job," Grieger says with a smile spreading across
his face, "in essence, I had served a 20-year
apprenticeship--gaining experience from one end of the business to
the other."
Grieger contributes much of
Monroe's early success to his unique approach
to working with contractors. "There were obviously other companies
selling conversion burners at the time," he states, "but what I did
was traveled and worked with gas utilities. Then, I held seminars to
teach contractors how to convert from oil or coal to gas. So it was
the teaching process that helped me sell. By learning, everyone
benefited, including my company, the utility, the contractor, and
the consumer." Education is, in fact, power, say Grieger, and he
carries this philosophy with him today.
